Posts Tagged ‘ silicon valley ’

Mar 09
Monday

Goldberg & Sack on the Downturn

Filed under Tips/Advice

chart-downturn1This is gearing up to be a crazy economic downturn. It’s something none of us have ever seen, the economy is downright rotten to the core, and no one really knows what to do.

XConomy.com recently attended a talk by Michelle Goldberg and Andy Sack, from Goldberg  & Sack, and they were nice enough to post the main takeaways from said talks. They talked about startups, the economy, and most importantly: funding.

Here are the takeaways:

•    Valuations are down: If you raised money, you’re going to raise a lot less. The problem comes when you never raised any money, what happens then? Well, your chances of getting it are as big as my chances of becoming President.
•    Pitches are up: People need money, and they’re going out of their way to get it. What does this mean for investors? They’re getting more and more pitches, to the point that it’s starting to get annoying.
•    Your next financing is your last: It might not be, but you have to think abut it like that. This way, you’ll be mentally prepared for a hot hot summer.
•    With exit marks closed, VCs are opportunistic: There are no exits any more. This means investors are really looking into companies to see how they can make them better, and maybe even provide an unforeseen exit. This is both good and bad for the startup entrepreneur. It’s good because they’ll have more help from investors, but they could get annoying.
•    It’s about who you know: If you know people that can help you out, it’s time to call in some favors. Why? You have more chances of making it and getting funding if you know people. If you don’t know people, it’ll take more time for them to get to know you and company.

Continue…

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Read Before You Start Up
Comments - Posted 02.23.09
Remember my recent post about VC money and your venture? Have you made up your mind about what side of the fence you stand in, or rather, have you managed to find some middle ground? In case you have, and wish to attract venture capitalists, you might be wondering how ...continue
Location Matters for Startups, Get Over It
Comments - Posted 02.19.09
[caption id="attachment_2627" align="alignright" width="184" caption="Location, location, location..."][/caption] This debate is as old as startups themselves: does location matter when setting up a company? The sad truth is this: it does matter. It doesn’t matter how much of a believer you are in the fact that you can set up a successful startup ...continue
How to Talk Your Way to the Top
Comments - Posted 11.17.08
Abigail Johnson is the president of Roeder-Johnson Corp, a public relations and strategic communications firm in Silicon Valley, so she knows a little bit about PR. She also knows a lot about launching companies, and she recently gave some tips for entrepreneurs to talk their way to the top. Without further ...continue
The Future of the Valley
Comments - Posted 11.11.08
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="120" caption="Venky Harinarayan"][/caption] Forbes is the premier resource for the latest financial news and analysis. So when they call what’s happening right now “The Silicon Lining”, you get your hopes up. In a recent article, Venky Harinarayan (a founding partner of Cambrian Ventures) analyzes the current situation in ...continue
Coverage on Startup Crisis
Comments - Posted 11.05.08
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="150" caption="The Wall Street meltdown is affecting startups"][/caption] Once major news sources start picking up on what’s going on with startups, then you know you’re in trouble. While most of us usually surf around the “familiar” blogs, sometimes we forget to check in on the big guys. Here are ...continue
Being Innovative Means Being Crappy
Comments - Posted 11.05.08
To be a successful innovator create revolutionary stuff that may have elements of crap in it, says Guy Kawasaki. continue
No Downturn For Silicon Valley? The BBC Says So
Comments - Posted 10.31.08
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="157" caption="Now they're talking Startups too"][/caption] Wait, don’t get it wrong, it’s not like they want to completely ignore what’s going on, but they make some interesting points. Here are some interesting quotes from some of the most respected VCs in Silicon Valley: -"It's not going to be business as ...continue
Knowledge From the Roundtable
Comments - Posted 10.30.08
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="202" caption="Jason Calacanis was sitting on the Roundtable"][/caption] VentureBeat’s Roundtable event caused quite a stir in the world of startups, but what can we learn from it? Here are some of the best quotes from the knights at the roundtable (the King Arthur reference has been in my ...continue
Le Meur’s Tips for Going Global
Comments - Posted 10.28.08
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="202" caption="Loic Le Meur"][/caption] Loic Le Meur has become quite the internet celebrity/authority. He went on TechCrunch and wrote about a debate as old as startups itself: Local or Global? Le Meur moved to San Francisco with his family to launch his startup Seesmic. Le Meur believes that startups ...continue